Hosiery



March 31, 1942. KLUMPP HOSIERY Filed July 20, 1959 5 Sheets Sheet '1 F; KLUMPP March 31, 19420 rd niziuififlumpp Patented Mar. 31, 1942 HOSIERY Ferdinand Klumpp, Weehawken, N. J.; Bessie Klumpl executrix of Ferdinand Klnmpp, deceased, assignor to Robert Beiner, Incorporated, a corporation of New Jersey Application July 20, 1939, Serial No. 285,520

. 2 Claims. (01. 66-172) The present invention relates to a stocking and, more particularly, to a knitted stocking having a top or welt fabric consisting of a portion possessing one-way stretch circumferentially of the stocking, and another portion possessingtwoway elastic stretch in directions both circumferentially and longitudinally of the stocking.

The primary object of the invention resides in va knitted stocking having a top or welt fabric consisting of a garter attaching section having only one-way stretch, and a second section connected thereto and having two-way stretch.

- Another, object of the invention resides in a stocking top fabric knitted in a unique manner and, incorporating elastic and inelastic ya'rns arranged in a novel relationship, whereby the fabric may have elastic stretch in a plurality of direetions without substantially narrowing the width of the fabric.

A feature of the invention resides in a stocking having a combined warp and weft yarn type of top fabric consisting of elastic warp yarns and elastic weft yarns interconnected together in a novel manner, whereby all of said elastic yarns may be subjected to longitudinal and lateral stretch, to provide the top fabric with two-way elastic stretch.

Another feature of'the invention resides in the novel manner of interrelatingthe elastic and inelastic yams so as to positively prevent the shifting of the elastic yarns and, further, provide a fabricyvhich has the. combined features of a weft knittedfabric and a warp knitted fabric.

Besides the above, my invention is distinguished in the arrangement, in the top fabric, of inelastic yarns interconnected with warp and weft elastic yarns, whereby various portions of the elastic incorporated in the top fabric illustrated in Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an enlargeddiagrammatic view of a. portion of the topfabrl'c illustrated in Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of a portion of the top fabric illustrated in Figure 2;

Figure 7 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of a portion of the top fabrics.

Referring to that form of my invention illustrated in Figures 1, 3, and 5,the top'or welt fabric l consists of a garter attaching fabric -or section 2, and a strain-absorbing fabric or section 3 located below the section 2 and connected thereto.

The fabric 3 is also directly connected to the leg fabric 4 of the stocking by a topping, looping, or sewing operation. 4

The leg fabric is preferably weft knitted of inelastic yams and thus has stretch only circumferentially of the stocking. As this is the custoinary manner of knitting the leg fabric, the knee portion 5 thereof is subject to excessive strains. Therefore, to relieve the knee portion 5 and the garter attaching fabric- 2 of such strains, the strain-absorbing fabric 3 is located above the knee of the wearer and is capable of two-way elastic stretch, whereas the fabric 2 is capable of only one-way elastic stretch, that is'to say, circumferentially of the stocking.

The top fabric I is fabricated of a plurality of elastic warp yarns and weft yarns arranged in a novel relationship, and interconnected in a unique manner so that the fabric 2 can be stretched yarns are interconnected together in groups so that the elastic yarns may be subjected to lateral and longitudinal stretch in the, use of the top fabric.

With these and other objects in view, the invention will be bet'ter'understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a stocking constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a view of another form of top fabric;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view of the arrangement of elastic yarns incorporated in the topfabric illustrated in Figure 1; v

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of the arrangement of the'warp and weft elastic yarns only circumferentially of the stocking, whereas 0 the fabric 3 can be stretched both longitudinally and circumferentially of the stocking. To accomplish this desired result, I have diagrammatically shown in Figure 3 a group of elastic warp yarns 6 arranged in the fabric 2. Also illustrated in Figure 3 is a second group of warp elastic yarns l associated with an elastic weft yarn 8,

the latter being formed into a plurality of lengths crossing the former in a right angular direction.

The elastic warp yarns 6 are interconnected to each other in such a manner that the fabric is capable of only longitudinal stretch, whereas the elastic warp and weft yarns I and 8 are so interconnected witheach other that the'fabric is subject to both lateral and longitudinal stretch. Thus the elastic yarns 6 provide the fabric 2 with elastic stretch only circumferentially of the stocking, whereas the groups of elastic yarns I and, 8 provide the fabric-3 with elasticv rstretch both circumferentially and longitudinally; of thestocking. r.

For the purpose of interconnecting the elastic yarns 6 together so as to prevent the shifting thereof and, at the same time, provide the proper direction of elastic stretch; and for the purpose of interconnecting the elastic yarns l and 8 together to prevent the relative shifting thereof and provide two-way elastic stretch, there is incorporated in the top fabric a group of inelastic yarns, designated by the numeral 9. There are various ways in which these inelastic yarns can be interconnected or intertied with the elastic yarns, to prevent the shifting thereof and to pro vide the proper direction of stretch.

For the purpose of illustration, I have shown the inelastic yarns 9 knitted into courses, the loops Ill of which interloop with the elastic yarns as diagrammatically shown in Figure 5. Cooperating with the courses of inelastic yarns 9 is a group of interlocking yarns II, and these interlocking yarns ar so interlooped with the inelastic yarns 9 that certain of the elastic yarns can only stretch longitudinally, and other elastic yarns can stretch both longitudinally and laterally. To accomplish this desired result, certain' of the interlocking yarns are locked or interconnected with the inelastic yarns s'throughout the entire length of the courses, with the result that 'the elastic yarns associated therewith can only be stretched longitudinally.

Th remaining interlocking yarns are interlocked or interconnected with the inelastic yarns 9 at spacedpoints in contiguous courses of inelastic yarns so as to provide a plurality of openings [2 in the fabric, as clearly shown in Figure 5. These openings are uniformly distributed over the entire area of the fabric 3 so that the elastic yarns incorporated in the fabric may be subjected to both longitudinal and lateral stretch.

Referring to Figure 7, it will be noted that each inelastic yarn 9 is formed into a singl wal of loops, the wales of loops of inelastic yarns being interlooped with the elastic warp yarns so as to tie the same in position and prevent the shifting thereof and, further, limit certain of the elastic warp yarns to longitudinal stretch only,

and permit others to have both longitudinal and lateral stretch. The wales of loops also tie in the elastic weft yarn so that it may be capable of both longitudinal and lateral stretch. The tying-in inelastic yarns secure the wales of inelastic yarns 9 together in a novel relationship and, further, strengthen the entire fabric throughout its area. The location of the loops of the interlocking yarns determines the direction and degree of stretch of the elastic yarns.

In Figure 2 I have illustrated the top fabric consisting of a weft knitted garter attaching fabric l3 knitted entirely of inelastic yarns, and a fabric band I4 arranged therebelow and connected thereto and also connected to the leg fabric of the stocking. This band I4 is fabricated from warp and weft elastic yarns and warp inelastic yarns, with the warp and weft elastic yarns disposed in cross relation as clearly shown in Figure 4. Thus there is provided an elastic weft yarn l5 and elastic warp yarns l6. These elastic yarns are secured together by the inelastic yarns l1 and the interlocking inelastic yarns I8, as clearly shown in Figure 6. The inelastic yarns H are knitted in a manner characteristic of the top fabric I, but the inelastic interlocking yarns l8 are so interlooped with the elastic yarns and the inelastic yarns I! that the elastic yarns can be stretched both longitudinally and laterally to provide the fabric band M with two-way elastic stretch.

Of course, it is to be understood that the entire top fabric may be constructed similar to the fabric band M so that the entire top fabric will have two-way stretch in directions both longitudinally and circumferentially of the stocking.

I am aware of the fact that fabrics of combined warp and weft yarns have heretofore been attached to the tops of stockings, but the structural features of such fabrics were such that they possessed only one-way elastic stretch circumferentially of the stocking. Such elastic stretch circumferentially of the stocking will not absorb the'strains of the knee portion of the stocking, or the strains of the garter attaching portion of the stocking.

I am also aware of the fact that warp knit fabrics have been attached to the tops of stockings, but these warp knit fabrics are not capable of two-way stretch, which is absolutely necessary if the objectives of the invention are to be accomplished.

My top fabric is radically different from the types of fabrics heretofore produced in that the same incorporates inelastic knitted yarns as well as elastic unknitted warp and weft yarns, the unknitted warp and weft yarns being so positioned as to be subjected to lateral and longitudinal stretch, and the knitted yarns being so related with the unknitted warp and weft yarns as to allow the same to b stretched.

It is to be understood that the invention above described is capable of several modifications and, therefore, any modifications coming within the scope of the subjoined claims are to be considered within the spirit of my invention..

What I claim is:

1. In a stocking, a strain absorbing fabric comprising: a multiplicity of elastic warp yarns; an elastic weft yarn laid in to cross said warp yarns at an angle; a multiplicity of inelastic warp yarns, one associated with each elastic warp yarn, each of said inelastic warp yarns being knitted in a wale of chain loops engaging its associated elastic warp yarn and tying in the elastic weft yarn portions crossing the latter; and, a multiplicity of interlocking inelastic warp yarns each connecting three adjacent wales of chain loops by zig-zag ing between an intermediate wale and a length of a wale on one side thereof, and then zig-zagging between said intermediate wale and a length of a wale on the other side thereof, the elastic weft yarn crossing the elastic warp yarns at a point where the interlocking inelastic warp yarns pass from a wale on one side of the intermediate wale to a wale on the other side of said intermediate wale.

2. A knitted stocking having a welt fabric consisting of an upper garter attaching portion and a lower strain absorbing portion, said garter attaching portion comprising a multiplicity of elastic warp yarns, a multiplicity of inelastic warp yarns, one associated with each elastic warp yarn and each of said inelastic warp yarns being knitted in a wale of chain loops engaging its associated elastic warp yarn, and a multiplicity of inelastic warp yarns, one for each two adjacent wales of chain loops and connecting the same by zig-zagging therebetween throughout the entire lengths thereof, whereby the elastic yarns may stretch only in a longitudinal direction to provide the upper garter attaching portion with a one-way elastic stretch circumferentially of the rzig-zagging between an intermediate wale and a length of a wale on one side thereof, and then zigzagging between said intermediate wale and a length of a wale on the other side thereof, the elastic weft yarn crossing the elastic warp yarns at a point where the interlocking inelastic warp yarns pass from a wale on one side of the intermediate wale to a wale on the other side of said intermediate wale, whereby said elastic yarns are capable of both longitudinal and transversal stretch to provid the lower strain absorbing portion with a two-way elastic stretch both circumferentially and longitudinally of the stocking.

FERDINAND KLUMPP. 

